DOKKEA : Kitchen & Design

Kitchen Design Tips

THE KITCHEN FOOTPRINT. Let's start with the space you have available for the kitchen. Whether you are designing for a new home, or remodeling in an existing one, you are limited by how much space you have available in which to create your dream. If the space is fairly small, you will want to consider whether or not you have the option of expanding. You may be able to accomplish this in your existing home and, in a new home, very often you still have time to alter the architectural plan, if needed. In either case, if you can eliminate or relocate a wall or walls or add to the house to create more space for the kitchen, it will improve the function and value of the room significantly. Of course, if you do not create an addition to the house, and just remove or relocate a wall(s), you then have infringed upon a contiguous space and decreased its size, so you have to weigh which option is the best for you. Is it worth giving up the other space to increase the size of the kitchen? In my experience, if you can do without the adjoining space, it is much better to devote that extra space to the kitchen.

REMAINING ISSUES. The planning process will continue until every aspect of the total kitchen design is selected and specified. However, once you have established your footprint and vertical space, how you want to utilize your kitchen, how and where you want to eat, and your design motif, you are more than half way there. The planning process continues, on a smaller scale, as you are making more decisions about all of the items and issues that make up a total kitchen design. Examples: Do you often make spaghetti and pasta, which requires filling a large pot with about four to six quarts of water? If so, you should have a pot-filler over the cook top or range top. Since there are only two of you and it takes a long time to fill up the dishwasher before you can wash the dishes, you should consider a two drawer dishwasher which enables you to wash one drawer at a time, thereby saving energy and providing you with clean dishes more often. Do you prefer an air switch in the countertop for the disposal or do you want the switch to be on the backsplash? Do you want a garbage disposal in the prep sink as well as the main sink? Do you want soft close on your cabinet drawers? Do you like the idea of pendant lighting above the island? Do you want a filtered water system? The questions go on and on!

Use Backlashes to Show off a Unique Style of Kitchen. Another popular way to make your kitchen designs more unique is to choose varying patterns for your backlashes. Let your personality go wild in this area of the kitchen by creating a custom designed mosaic with varying colors and patterns. You can use tiles made of stone, ceramic or other materials in a multitude of available colors and designs. For instance, choose your favorite picture and form it with the tiles onto your kitchen backlashes or use different materials for each color. It is all up to your imagination. Whatever unique and innovative design you choose for your British kitchen designs, it is sure to be something that your family will learn to love and use every day since the kitchen is the heart of most homes.

Ensuring Efficient Energy Consumption. For any business-oriented kitchen design, energy efficiency should be a major consideration, because it is going to save you money on utility expenses. In an energy-efficient kitchen setup, your cooking equipment should be kept far apart as is feasible while still remaining convenient. For instance, your cooking equipment should be strategically positioned to optimize on the kitchen exhaust hood. Foodservice Consultants Society International, a global professional design and management consulting services organization estimates that energy savings from efficient kitchen equipment could be as much as 40%, which is nearly 3 to 6 per cent of your total kitchen operating costs.